The United States had appeared to be dominated by consensus and conformity in the 1950s. As the commotions of the first half of the century ended, people were relieved but faced oncoming internal issues. The Great Depression and the two Great Wars caused people to seek tranquility and harmony. The fifties were the decade of change led by president Eisenhower. During this time the nation was in an up rise in many ways. The economy was booming as the Gross National Product more than doubled from the past decade. Thus there was a rise in consumer spending which had a domino effect on the economy. Though it was unexpected, many issues arrived such as the fear of communism and the suspicion of communists hiding in the government. At this period the youth were in the process of change as there was a great break in traditional values. In the midst of all the upheaval civil rights factions saw it as an ideal opportunity to correct the differences of society. Primarily, these groups’ goals were to desegregate the nation. The youth reacted to the status quo by changing their conventional ways. To start with, there was a new “baby boom” generation. Women throughout decided to marry more often and give birth to more children. To celebrate the female anatomy, the “cult of domesticity” became a custom. The newborns required certain products that created demand. Since there was more money available in the family and a greater need for products, consumption rapidly increased. These youths grew to be teenagers where they see an abrupt change. Change in their dress, where they eat, how they travel and what they watched. People started dressing in gray flannel suits, poodle skirts, shirt dresses, saddle shoes and others. Like no other times, teens drove cars and headed to fast food takeout place such as McDonalds. The economy was the main cause for these controversial advances. Another medium to which people reacted was the Television. Shows such as Father Knows Best, Leave It to...

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...Consensus decision-making is a group decision making process that seeks the consent of all participants. Consensus may be defined professionally as an acceptable resolution, one that can be supported, even if not the "favourite" of each individual. Consensus is defined by Merriam-Webster as, first, general agreement, and second, group solidarity of belief or sentiment. It has its origin in the Latin word cōnsēnsus (agreement), which is from cōnsentiō meaning literally feel together.[1] It is used to describe both the decision and the process of reaching a decision. Consensus decision-making is thus concerned with the process of deliberating and finalizing a decision, and the social and political effects of using this process.
Consensus decision making is an alternative to commonly practiced adversarial decision making processes.[5] Robert's Rules of Order, for instance, is a process used by many organizations. The goal of Robert’s Rules is to structure the debate and passage of proposals that win approval through majority vote. This process does not emphasize the goal of full agreement. Critics of Robert’s Rules believe that the process can involve adversarial debate and the formation of competing factions. These dynamics may harm group member relationships and undermine the ability of a group to cooperatively implement a contentious decision.
Consensus decision making is...

...﻿Jordan Stauffer
Social Psych Project
April 26, 2012
Conformity
Peter Ustinov once said, “In America, through pressure of conformity, there is freedom of choice, but nothing to choose from.” This is unbelievably true as much as we try not to admit it. Society has made it where we really don’t have a choice when it comes to certain things if we want to be “normal” and liked. Although we might say we would act differently than everyone else in a hypothetical situation, when it comes down to it, we would more than likely just follow along with the behavior of everyone else. This is just whom we are as individuals- how we are wired. We don’t want to risk standing out and being ridiculed or singled out. Sure, we want to be unique and remembered, but not in any way that makes people think we are “weird.”
Conformity has been tested for several decades in several different experiments. The one we are most familiar with and read in our textbooks is Asch’s line experiment. His results showed that 75% of participants conformed at least once during the study. Even when the subject knew the rest of the group was wrong they still gave the wrong answer! The reason being possibly being because they were afraid to speak up since they were the only one who knew the right answer. There are many different factors that are linked to why people conform such as group size, group unanimity (like in the Asch example), and the desire to be liked...

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Conformity
Brandon Cannon
ORG 300- Principles of Management
Colorado State University – Global Campus
Ms. Marie Halvorsen – Ganepola
September 20, 2014
Conformity
If we think back I am sure we can all remember a time when we were sitting in class and the teacher asked a question; we knew in our minds that the answer we chose was the right one, yet when we looked around, the majority of the class had chosen a different answer. What did we do? We more than likely didn’t answer the question because the rest of the class would have looked at us like we were wrong. We didn’t want to be the odd man out of the whole class. Yu & Sun (2013) state, “when people have different opinions in a group, they often adjust their own attitudes and behaviors to match the group opinion, known as social conformity” (p. 1).
Looking back, should we have conformed to the class? Should we have just listened to ourselves and answered the question even though the rest of the class chose the other answer? The answer is no, we shouldn’t have conformed to the class; we should have listened to ourselves, at least for me anyways. According to Robbins, DeCenzo, & Coulter (2014), “conformity is adjusting one’s behavior to align with a group’s norms” (p. 285).
We are taught as soon as we are old enough to grasp the idea that it is bad to be unique and to avoid being different. At some point, however, we must decide...

...Conformity
By definition conformity is a change in behaviour or belief as a result of real or imagined group; it is synonymous to agreement. It is not just acting as other people act, but it is also being affected by how they act. It means that you might even think differently from the way you would, if you were alone.
Conformity could be both good and bad, it depends on the situation. If it leads to someone to drive drunk or take part in a racist actions then without any doubt it is definitely negative. However some degree of conformity is necessary for societies to function. For example, when you stop at a red light, you are conforming to the law and to the general agreement that for the good and safety of society, a red light means stop. You stop, even though most of the time there is not a police officer on the scene to enforce the law.
Nevertheless, the word “conformity” may carry a different value in different cultures. North American and European psychologists, reflecting their individualistic cultures, give social influence, like conformity, negative labels rather than positive ones like for cooperative team play and responsiveness. Where on the contrary, other societies put a higher value on fitting in or conforming. There is a Japanese proverb that roughly translates into the saying "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down," meaning that it is better not to stand out in a...

...The Price of Nonconformity
Defiance is a daring and bold resistance to authority or society. In any group, whether a neighborhood, team, or school, there is a certain ethical and moral code that people are expected to abide by, and therefore defiance is not welcome. However, every group has its individuals, people who break the mold and go against the grain. Actions made by individuals that shake the foundations of a society’s beliefs are seen in negative light, and as a result, the individual faces animosity. Nonconformity and defiance to a society’s customs lead to great implications for the individual.
In the novel The Chocolate War, Jerry’s friendship with Roland Goubert deteriorates in correlation with Jerry’s nonconformity. Popularly referred to as “The Goober,” Roland is Jerry’s only real ally in the novel. The Goober is a peaceful figure who hates strain and contention and gets along with Jerry who shares Goober’s mild behavior (Cormier 100). The chocolate sale, however, drives a wedge between the two’s easy friendship. Goober responds with fear and apprehension when Jerry relates his plan to refuse the chocolates. He entreats Jerry to appease the school and sell the chocolates, and Jerry’s empty response to Goober’s plea starts the division in their friendship. “Jerry's lone protest is partly inspired by a poster displayed in the back of his
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locker. It shows a man walking alone on the beach, with a captioned quote from poet T. S. Eliot: ‘Do I...

...Why do People conform? (Explanation for conformity)
* INFORMATIONAL INFLUENCES
because they lack information or do not know the answer. People assume that others probably know more than they do. This may apply to the Jenness and shrif study.
* NORMATIVE INFLUENCES
people want to be accepted as part of the group, don't want to be different. This may apply to the Asch studies.
Jenness (1932) was the first psychologist to study conformity. His experiment was an ambiguous situation involving a glass bottle filled with beans. He asked participants individually to estimate how many beans the bottle contained. Jenness then put the group in a room with the bottle, and asked them to provide a group estimate through discussion. Participants were then asked to estimate the number on their own again to find whether their initial estimates had altered based on the influence of the majority. Jenness then interviewed the participants individually again, and asked if they would like to change their original estimates, or stay with the group's estimate. Almost all changed their individual guesses to be closer to the group estimate.
Sherif (1935): ‘Autokinetic effect’
Participants sit in a darkened room and stare at a pinpoint of light that appears to move. They are asked to estimate the distance it moves. Since the movement is only apparent the correct answer is it doesn’t, but Sherif’s participants were obviously not aware of...

...President Kennedy once said “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth”
Good morning and thankyou all for being here today at the forum.
Life is a constant battle between conforming and being an individual. It is about finding that balance so that conforming does not become ‘the jailer of freedom’ or ‘the enemy of growth’.
Conformity is basically a process by which people's belief or behaviours are influenced by others.
We conform to rules and regulations, so that the world runs smoothly. These can have positive effects. Examples include, driving on the left side of the road, preventing accidents.
Then there is conforming to the length of not having your own opinions and just following the norm to fit in and feel apart of something. This can have a negative influence. Being a part of a group because they are stereotyped as ‘cool’ is an example.
Individuality and stepping out from the crowd can also have a positive or negative effect. Being an individual is positive as your living by what you want and what your morals are although this can be negative if your intentions are bad.
After evaluating both novel ‘Raw’ by Scott Monk and film, ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ directed by Frank Darabont there is similarities that support the notion that “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.
Scott Monks ‘Raw’ is about a delinquent teenager, who has been sent to a detention centre,...

...Conformity although seemingly harmless may be one of the biggest threats to our society to date. The definition of Conformity to me is just basically assimilation in to modern day society. People may see no big danger to being conformist for the fact most people will always think the same and have similar ideas on certain topics. The thing that I do see danger in is people following a leader blindly just because the leader may appeal to some ideas people may have or because other people may be voting for him; as in politics when people vote for a president not because they are truly convinced by the campaign. But they vote for that president because its what others are doing. Some things its okay to be conformist with or subside to conformity such as maybe clothes, music, religion, and etc. When it comes to more serious matters such as politics and people they associate with, I believe one should have his/her own individual views. Another part of conformity people don’t really acknowledge but that does threaten us today are things such as gangs and mobs. I don’t totally agree with conformity because I think individuality is a great thing for simple reason its what makes everyone different from each other and its also what makes some of us stand out.
Although seeming harmless there has been notable points in history that shows conformity is a thing that can be very dangerous threat to...